Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2008, secretary of state was a title given to junior ministers of state in the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

that sat outside

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

. Because it was a position that was assigned to assist Cabinet ministers, a secretary of state was legally a minister of state; the distinction is that, unlike a minister, a secretary is not a full cabinet portfolio itself and thus not considered a member of Cabinet. (They were hence considered junior to ministers of state.) The Secretary of State (Training and Youth), for instance, would assist the Minister for Human Resources and Development. This usage is opposite to that in the United Kingdom, where junior ministers generally report to more senior secretaries of state. Secretaries of state were, however, members of the ministry and the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...

. This generic usage should not be confused with the former cabinet positions of Secretary of State for Canada (1867–1996), Secretary of State for the Provinces (1867–1873), and Secretary of State for External Affairs (1909–1995).

History

These positions were first used by Jean Chrétien as a way to decrease the size of the

without substantially decreasing the size of the ministry. When

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...

became Prime Minister in 2003, this usage ended, and he instead appointed ministers of state and increased the powers of parliamentary secretaries to act in junior policy positions."Martin's Team", ''The Globe and Mail'', 13 December 2003, A13. Martin's successor,

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

, resumed the use of secretaries of state in a cabinet shuffle on 4 January 2007, but went back to ministers of state in his October 2008 cabinet.

List of Secretaries of State in Canada

External Affairs

Between 1993 and 2003, there were at least three junior

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

positions within the Department of External Affairs (renamed in 1995 to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade) responsible for assisting the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

(known until 1993 as the Secretary of State for External Affairs). * the Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) — relations within the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

* the Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) — relations with

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. * the Secretary of State (Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East) — relations with Central &

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, wh ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

(introduced by Order-in-Council in 2002). Between 2007 and 2008, the Conservative

Harper government The premiership of Stephen Harper began on February 6, 2006, when the first Cabinet headed by Stephen Harper was sworn in by Governor General Michaelle Jean. Harper was invited to form the 28th Canadian Ministry and become Prime Minister o ...

included a less narrow position to assist with the Foreign Affairs minister, called the Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade).

Heritage

Several Secretaries of State assisted the Minister of Canadian Heritage (and antecedents) with the various portfolios of the Department of Canadian Heritage (formerly

Department of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities includes regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. T ...

), including

multiculturalism The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

, which at one point fell under the

Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship The Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship was an office in the Cabinet of Canada from 1991 to 1996 and from 2013 and 2015. It was superseded in 1996 and again in 2015 by the Minister of Canadian Heritage. In 2019, Bardish Chagger was appoin ...

Industry

The Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development) was a position introduced in 1993 to assist the Minister of Industry within

Industry Canada Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED; french: Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada; french: ISDE, label=none)''Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal ...

. The Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development) (Western Economic Diversification) was introduced in 1996 to provide assistance to the

Minister of Western Economic Diversification The Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada () is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who served as the chief executive of Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD). The post was traditionally held by an MP ...

within their department. Under Prime Minister

, the office of Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) was introduced. On 2008 October 30, a ministerial position was established by Harper as the Minister of State (Science & Technology).

Labour

The Secretary of State (Training and Youth) assisted the Minister of Labour for the Department of Labour until July 1996, when the labour ministry was abolished and transferred to the Human Resources Development. In 1997, the secretarial position was changed to Secretary of State (Children and Youth). Between 2007 and 2008 during the conservative

, Human Resources Development included a Secretary of State (Seniors) to assist with the seniors portfolio.

Others

References

{{reflist Former Canadian ministers